Student Government Association
The Student Government Association"SGA Constitution". UTSA Student Government. Retrieved October 16, 2011. ("SGA" or simply "Student Government"), is the official voice and advocate of the UTSA student body."Student Government Association - Home". UTSA Collegiate Link. Retrieved October 16, 2011. SGA members have been very active in the Mr. and Ms. UTSA competition. Mr. UTSA winners Wayne Terry (1985), Andrew Gutierrez (2003), Stephen Cheney (2004), Eric Mies (2005), Dan Iza (2007), Derek Trimm (2010), Roger Frigstad (2011), Zack Dunn (2013), and Adrian Guajardo (2015) have all been in SGA, with Trimm and Dunn having also been voted student body president. Among Mr. UTSA finalists are SGA officers Shane Foley (2001), Mark Esté (2008), Christian Menefee (2009), Jerome Scott (2014), Jaswanth Kintada (2015), and Mikel Moore (2016). Ms. UTSA winners who have been in SGA include Kristy Pacheco (2003), Rebecca Bromley (2004), Diana Cuervo (2011), Daniella Lerma (2012), and Ileana Gonzalez (2014) with Gonzalez also been voted student body president the following year. Ms. UTSA finalists include SGA members Judy Juarez (1998), Nicole Muñoz (2010), April Escamilla (2011), Shanice Mzava (2014), Lauren Lopez (2015), and Carla Juarez (2016). SGA members who have won Student Leader of the Month or Roadrunner of the Month award include Mayllyn Luz for October 2007, Christian Menefee for August/September 2008, Lacy Guaderrama for December 2010/January 2011, president Xavier Johnson for September 2011, Eliana Briceño for February 2012, treasurer Darnell Thomas for March 2012, Brian Smith for October 2012, Christian Ume-Ezeoke for December 2012/January 2013, and William Trynoski for January 2016. History Student Government, originally founded as "Student Representative Assembly" ("SRA"), was established in 1976. The organization's name changed to "Student Government Association" for the second Constitution. The current Constitution was drafted by Conor Harvey and Zack Dunn over the course of spring and fall semesters of 2014, and ultimately ratified on May 18, 2015. The 40th administration endorsed the first year of the fourth order Constitution. Composition The Student Government Association is divided into three branches (quite similar to the basic composition of the U.S. Government). The Executive Branch consists of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Speaker of the Senate (formerly known as the Executive Senator), and all executive director/chair appointees and committee chairs. The Legislative Branch consists of a unicameral Senate, comprised of Senators elected from both Colleges and Classifications. The Judicial Branch consists of a Chief Justices elected by four other justices. The SGA executes its business through various meetings of the Executive Council, the General Assembly, and committee meetings of various standing and ad-hoc committees. Executive Board Duties The President shall: : 1. Serve as Chief Executive Officer of the SGA. : 2. Represent SGA in meetings with other student government associations, the university president, institutions, business firms, agencies of the government, and the general public. : 3. Appoints Directors of Programs. : 4. Serve and/or appoint delegates to the University of Texas System Student Advisory Council. : 5. Preside over meetings of the Executive Cabinet. : 6. Report on SGA activities to the General Assembly. : 7. Have the power to line-order veto legislation passed by General Assembly. : 8. Approve or veto all legislation passed by the General Assembly within five(5) class days. Any bill not signed or vetoed within this time shall be considered approved. : 9. Execute and enforce all legislation of the General Assembly. : 10. Attend meetings of the University Assembly. : 11. Fill vacancies in the Judicial Branch with 2/3 majority General Assembly approval. : 12. Meet weekly with the SGA advisor(s). : 13. Maintain a positive working relationship with other campus organizations. : 14. Present a “State of the SGA” report in November and April to the General Assembly. : 15. Provide a Written Report of the “State of the SGA” to the Vice President of Student Affairs and other appropriate administrators in November and April. : 16. Brief and assist the incoming president of SGA. : 17. Protect, defend, and uphold the SGA Constitution and By-Laws. : 18. Act as a liaison between the students and administration of UTSA. : 19. Serve office hours. : 20. Attend meetings of the General Assembly as requested. : 21. Nominate individuals to university committees. : 22. Gather reports from students on university committees. : 23. Ensure participation of students on university committees. : 24. When possible, be present and act for SGA during all summer sessions. An exception can be made if another officer is willing to represent SGA during this time. : 25. Create an agenda for the Executive Cabinet to be published at least 72 hours prior to each meeting of the Executive Cabinet. : 26. Appoints General Assembly Committee Chairs with input from other Executive Officers. The Vice President shall: : 1. Preside over meetings of The General Assembly, voting only in the event of a tie. : 2. Create the agenda for the General Assembly with assistance from the other Executive Officers. : 3. Assume the duties and responsibilities of President in the absence or incapacity of the President; or, if the office of the President is vacant, until a special election can be held to fill the position. : 4. Represent SGA in meetings with other student government associations, institutions, business firms, agencies of the government, and the general public. : 5. Oversee the internal and external affairs of the SGA. : 6. Install all members of the SGA. : 7. Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. : 8. Protect, defend, and uphold the SGA Constitution and By-Laws. : 9. Serve office hours. : 10. Meet weekly with the SGA Advisor(s). : 11. Appoint a Parliamentarian for the General Assembly. The Treasurer shall: : 1. Ensure all funds are spent according to budget created by the General Assembly. : 2. Oversee use of any discretionary funds. : 3. Create financial reports monthly. : 4. Report on financial affairs of SGA to the General Assembly monthly. : 5. Chair the General Assembly Finance Committee. : 6. Protect, defend, and uphold the SGA Constitution and By-Laws. : 7. Serve office hours. : 8. Meet weekly with the SGA Advisor(s). The Secretary shall: : 1. Record minutes of the Executive Cabinet and General Assembly meetings and distribute them in time for the next meeting of that body. : 2. Responsible for collecting and filing reports from General Assembly Committees and Executive Committees. : 3. Record and track SGA correspondence. : 4. Keep a record of membership and contact list. : 5. Furnish minutes and reports upon request. : 6. Track Committee membership. : 7. Provide a schedule of meeting dates, times, and locations. : 8. Publish agendas before each meeting of the General Assembly. : 9. Manage office, work space, and all official publications including the SGA website. : 10. Protect, defend, and uphold the SGA Constitution. : 11. Meet weekly with the SGA Advisor(s). Festivals While SGA doesn't historically fundraise at the festival events of Roadrunner Productions (formerly CAB), it does often participate. It has checked out a booth to gather concerns at 2012 Fiesta UTSA, 2012 Best Fest, 2013 Fiesta UTSA, 2013 Best Fest, 2014 Fiesta UTSA, and 2015 Fiesta UTSA. It even won second place in the booth decorating contest at the 2013 Fiesta UTSA. Category:Organizations Category:SSOs Category:Student Government Association